On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains how the best con artists make their victims emotionally invested. She’s the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, all the self-flagellation Ted Cruz thinks was missing from Obama’s State of the Union address.

Coming up on Friday, Jan. 15, our host Mike Pesca and listener Frank Kennedy will be live onstage as part of the Story Collider STEM FEST. The show is sold out, but Slate Plus members are invited to a happy hour before the show. RSVP here.

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